Well it started off sunny...but then

Cudmore Fisheries
Pleck Lane, Whitmore, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, ST5 5HW

Milo Lake

Luke suggested that we all get out on the bankside last week and so we began to find a new venue to fish at the weekend.  He is getting married soon and his partner Jo, wants him from under her feet as she plans everything so he has been given a lot of free passes lately and tries to get on the bankside as often as possible.  We can all see what is going to happen once that ring is on her finger, so he is making hay while the sun shines and building up a bank of memories to reflect upon when the free passes suddenly cease and we are all sat bankside and he is cutting the grass or trimming the hedge on a Sunday morning.

He suggested that we pay a visit to either Cudmore or Furnace Mill on the Saturday and it was quickly agreed that a days fishing was something we could all do with and so we had to chose the venue.  I did say that I thought Furnace Mill would be a little too far for Richard to travel to from Northants, and I knew Damian wouldn't be too chuffed either because the fishery wasn't in Nottinghamshire, although to be fair to him he has travelled quite extensively lately to Northants, Buckinghamshire and Warwickshire for our little fishing adventures so he is improving.  We settled on Cudmore after looking at the website and saw that one lake, Tara, held Catfish up to 65lbs, Carp up to 32lbs, Pike up to 20lbs and Perch at 4lbs.

This meant there would be something for everyone, Damian and Richard could go after the Cats, Luke, John and myself could try and land a pretty decent Perch and there would be lots of smaller fish to keep us all busy.  It was decided then that we would head to what has become the Wembley of Coarse Angling and the home of the Fish 'O' Mania Final.  I was really looking forward to it and headed into the weekend full of confidence that I may break the 10lbs barrier for a Carp.  It was also the first time that I could use some of the new tackle that a mate Kirk James, had given me and I had plans to get my new(ish) 16 metre pole out of the holdall for the first time and see what all the fuss about pole fishing was about.  Unfortunately Richard had to pull out because he had been working in Ireland during the week and wanted some time with his kids, so it would be just the four of us and whichever members of Luke's tribe came with him.

It was agreed that an early start would be in order because with it being a Bank Holiday weekend, there may be quite a few heading out to get some fishing done and so we all said we would meet up at the fishery at about 07:00.  Now arriving anywhere on time is not my strongest trait, a fact that is well known amongst those who know me, so at around 06:00 I had a call from Damian to check I was on my way and I could happily tell him that I was indeed about to eave the house and head up the M6 to the Potteries.  I set off accordingly with that little nagging feeling that I had left something important behind.  As I sat at the lights, waiting to go up the slip road at Junction 2, M5, I checked the van's well in the top of the dashboard and quickly realised that I had left my glasses on the kitchen worktop....Bumholes !!!!! 

Cudmore Map

After a quick turnaround and retrieval of the aforementioned specs I was on my way again, but I had added an unnecessary 20minutes to the journey and the 07:00 start was looking like yet another broken promise to be on time.  I flew along the motorway with the cruise control set to 80 mph in the vain hope I would make up some of the lost time but it was not to be and I got off the M6 at Junction 15 at 07:10, not too bad and certainly not as late as usual, so I was taking what positives I could from the situation.  I then noticed a car ahead with a trailer attached and realised it was Luke and John so another positive because I would arrive at the same time as they did.  I followed Luke down some country lane, slightly concerned that the trailer was going to overturn as it bounced rather than rolled through the many potholes, and eventually into the fishery.

Damian was already there and had been up to the cafe / shop and been told that Tara lake was being used for those who were there for the night fishing and that we would have to go to another lake.  This wasn't really a problem for myself, Luke or John because we were not going to arget the big Cats or Carp, but Damian had prepared for those type of fish with some huge 32mm pop ups for the Cats, huge Size 4 barbless hooks etc.  Now he was going to have to rethink his tactics.

After a bit of a chat about pegs we all set off to the shop to pay and have a look at what baits were available.  I only needed maggots because I was planning on using the Method Feeder with green bethaine 4mm pellets mixed with 2mm feed pellets and a can of sweetcorn mixed in and then one or two kernels on the hook.  The rest went off into the used tackle section of the shop and had a look around before paying and heading to the lake.  John then appeared from the used tackle section laiden down with a bivvy, day shelter and trolley which he got for under £100, so he had a proper little result there.

We all set up on our chosen pegs, Damian and myself at the end of the lake facing a small island with the wind blowing into our faces, and Luke and John around to our left also facing the island but with the added feature of a few over hanging trees away to their left.  We felt that we had all bases covered and had set up accordingly following the generally accepted rules of fishing into the wind tight to the bank of the island etc.  However, the fish did not appear to have been sent the script and for the first 2 or 3 hours it looked as though we could all be on for a Blankety Blank cheque book and pen if things didn't improve.

My old school bite alarm

I had been using one of the carp rods that Kirk had given me and I had found a very old bite alarm amongst some tackle I had bought last year, so I had this set up on the rod pod with the Method Feeder out near the island.  Nothing had happened on the line for ages and so I went off for a cuppa by my van when I heard an alarm going off.  I was looking around to see who was on with a fish when I saw Damian running down to my peg and striking the rod.  It had been my alarm that had been going off and I had forgotten that I had it out.  Unfortunately the fish got away with it this time but I had provided the rest of them with a good laugh which I doubt they are going to let me forget in a while.  After much laughing at my expense, everyone returned to what they were doing and it was around this time that Damian pointed out the colour of the sky to the east of us and which was heading our way.  The clouds were the colour of slate and moving very quickly towards us.  Both Damian and myself rushed to our vans and moved them a few yards back to be directly behind out pegs, I put my umbrella up in the newly purchased extension arms that I had fitted to my new(ish) seat-box and we waited for the downpour.

Biggest hail I have ever seen

The grey clouds got darker and darker, the temperature dropped dramatically and the first few spots began to fall.  I remember feeling them hitting my knees, which were just sticking out from underneath the cover of the umbrella, and thinking that I wasn't getting wet.  It was then that I saw the hail on the floor in front of me and realised that we were getting a mixture of rain and hail, but then things changed again and we were bombarded with just hail, the biggest hail I had ever seen.  The little balls of ice were the size of processed peas, not the usual garden pea size I'm used to.  A quick glance from under the umbrella told me that it may be time to leave the peg for the shelter of the van as the lake surface looked as if it was boiling as the hail smashed onto it.  It was like a curtain travelling at speed across the lake and I had real concerns that they would rip through the material on the umbrella.  The sound of a van door slamming shut told me that Damian had already done one, so I began to make my way to my van as well.  It was at this point that one icy missile found it's target and pinged me in the right goolie and I was left almost doubled up in pain, but then to add insult to injury a second one managed to hit me right on the end of the winky.  That was enough for me and I abandoned my peg and sort of hobbled to the van, where I sat feeling very sorry for myself with a throbbing knacker and sore winky.

The situation around by Luke and John was equally as bad, but whilst John and Luke's three kids, Lauren, Rhys and Fin, took shelter from the hail, Luke just zipped his coat right up, pulled his hat further down and sat like a little hunkered up hero throughout it all.  Nothing it seemed, was going to deny him a single second of his fishing.  What a man !!!!!....When the weather improved and we were all back in our pegs it was time to assess the damage caused.  My umbrella had caught the wind and blown inside out and tipped my seat-box over.  The result was I had maggots mixed in with the corn, my loose pellets and on the floor and so I began the now usual task of trying to retrieve what I could from the mess.  This has happened to me on the last three outings and it is beginning to get a little tiresome now.

Damian had not had a single bit of interest in his swim and he was hoping that the hail hitting the water would have put more oxygen into the lake and might be a little bit of a kickstart for the fish to begin feeding, but we were all suffering from a lack of interest, all except Lauren that is.  She had been fishing next to her Dad, and had been catching quite a few, putting us all to shame.  It was time to change tactics.  I decided to abandon the method feeder and go with a maggot feeder instead, so a quick swap over was called for and I was away.  The results were almost immediate and I soon had my first fish of the day, a small Chub.  The fish were responding to the change as I had hoped and pretty soon I was catching regularly, nothing too big but as they say a fish is a fish.

I have always struggled with having two rods out at the same time, I always ended up getting myself snagged up on the lines and so it isn't something I have ever done with much confidence, but Damian kept saying that I should give it a go and so I fetched the float rod from the van and set it up with a loaded waggler, a new quick change adaptor for the hook length (I've always used snap swivels before but now these little plastic beads are my preferred method) and a short hook length to a size 16 hook.  Size 16 is a nice size if I got into anything bigger than a few pounds but small enough not to put the smaller fish off and soon I was catching on both rods.

In between periods of rain I managed a final haul of :

8 x Chub
9 x Perch
7 x Gudgeon
6 x Roach

30 fish wasn't a bad return at the end of the day and even Damian had a few when he had a go on the float rod so he wouldn't blank.  John and Luke had also been catching and had about 20 fish a piece so it ended up a good day all round.

I have to say that I was a little disappointed with the fishery though, it didn't quite deliver what I was expecting and seemed a little bit subdued.  I was probably expecting more than it could deliver and because of it's coverage on Sky TV with the Fish 'O' Mania Final, I had set myself up for a bit of an anti-climactic feeling, but the general appearance of the place didn't do much for it.  I think with so many lakes so close to each other there isn't much space for many bushes and trees, which I think create a nice atmosphere for fishing, and whilst Cudmore does have quite a few trees around it, there were big open spaces that gave a feeling of it being too open if that makes sense.

Anyway, it was still a day out on the bankside and that can never be a bad thing, and we did have some entertainment when an attractive blonde pulled up on the path behind us and made her way down to where those fishing either 24 or 48 hours were.  I'm not sure what went on but she returned pretty quickly and was in a very emotional state and muttering "F*****g b*****d" under her breath.  Damian said he was going to see if she was okay but when he heard her swearing he realised that it was a domestic and stayed out of the way.  Both Luke and Damian then saw her head back down to someone's swim where she was very animated and stood in front of him obviously shouting and waving her finger at him, but like a real man's man, the object of her anger just calmly sat there and continued fishing.  The next thing we were aware of was a car door slamming, a bit of a wheelspin and the roar of an engine as she sped off into the distance.  I think Wayne (Damian heard her curse his name) could be on short rations this week.

Anyway....See you on the bankside (Except Wayne of course.  He may not be allowed)....

Carp Rating

Carp Anglers - My Observations

In my brief time on the bankside I have come across a strange group of anglers who are a little obsessed by one species of fish and will go to almost any length to catch the biggest Carp in a particular pool or lake.  I had known that there were these strange creatures who targeted Carp, there is always some programme on Discovery Shed with some loud-mouth Cockney creeping around in some lakeside bush or a hyperactive Turkish bloke jumping around in someone's swim, so to be amongst them was, and continues to be, a bit of a revelation.  The thing I noticed about this group is that there are sub-groups amongst them and that two of these sub-groups could not be any more diametrically opposed to each other.

The Chav Angler

Typically attired Chav angler

You see this group at any commercial venue at some point throughout a session, but not for long as they usually only appear for around 2 or 3 hours before heading off somewhere else.  They arrive in a souped up Corsa or similar boy racer car, sometimes in their work mini van though, and usually have some young lady, who believes that she could make it as a model but will more than likely end up on a cheap Babe Station rip off or in a down market lap dancing club, in tow who will sit texting in the vehicle while he fishes.  Invariably he will be dressed in the latest offerings from Sports Direct, JD Sports or rip off Armani E7 clothing with the standard Nike or Adidas trainers on.  They don't carry huge amounts of kit usually a rod, landing net and a bucket of boillies, bag of dog mixers or a single loaf of cheap white bread, which is all they need and they always seem to time it just right to arrive and leave in between the times when the Bailiff does the rounds for the fees.

Even celebrity Chavs enjoy fishing

They fish the same way they try to live their lives, fast and loud, but annoyingly they never seem to blank and regularly catch fish in the double figures, much to the consternation of everyone else around the lake.  No one really knows where these people get their baits or equipment from because you never see them in an angling shop, but they do seem to have an understanding of the fish and their habits and, as mentioned earlier, very rarely blank before packing up and leaving as quickly as they arrived to go to some other venue, local McDonalds or wherever it is that they go.

Another venue where you will see this group will be on a local park boating lake, though the variety who fish there do differ slightly from the others and will have a bivvy set up and may even fish through the night.

The Regular Angler

A typical carpers swim set up

This group are possibly the most rounded and level headed of the three sub-groups and can be found on pretty much any commercial lake or pond though some do like to favour one particular venue and may be a member of a syndicate group.  This group are easily identified by their bivvy set-up which is invariably olive green in colour and includes a bed, camping stove, camping cooker, water container and, if they are planning a 24 or 48 hour session, a cooler box in which they will have bacon, sausage and the other usual ingredients required for a fry up in the mornings.  There will also be a back pack or holdall with tins of things like curry, chilli or soups for evening meals, though some are known to favour the local takeaways around the venue and the one thing that you can guarantee to be present will be a kettle with coffee or tea, milk and sugar for a brew up at a moments notice and/or the odd bottle of beer or three.  There may also be a Carp Chair outside of the bivvy set up facing the lake and within easy reach of the rod pod which will invariably have two or three rods set up on alarms but a lot of them will just sit on their bed in the bivvy.

The smelly spod mix

 They will also have three or four buckets (sometimes with a camo pattern on them) with a variety of baits for loose feeding and one will be a kind of messy semi dry mix for 'spodding' which usually stinks to high heaven thanks to the additives poured into it. (Damian's van is particularly ripe after some sessions)

This group will research each venue and find out as much info as possible about what bait works best, which swims are producing the biggest fish, which rigs work and which rigs don't, how other anglers have approached their sessions and which tactics work.  Part of the fun for this group is the researching and Damian is a prime example of this practice, looking at venue after venue and deciding on baits beforehand, choosing his rigs and tactics and then spending up to 47 hours (as he did at Farlows) just gazing out across the lake.  A hardy bunch who just want that 'big one' but this is often their downfall as they chase a new PB.

The Stealth Angler

Stealth Carper bivvy

This group are the ones that provide me with the most amusement being clad head to foot in camouflage patterns along with just about every bit of their kit.  They are very secretive and give little way about their rigs or baits and go to great lengths to keep any info to themselves, not daring to divulge anything to anyone just in case someone beats them to a big catch.  You see them at the bigger commercial venues like Cudmore or Makins where there are some huge fish, but less so at the smaller venues like Hunnington or Dayhouse Farm fisheries, where there are more pleasure anglers.  This lot are 'hardcore' Carpers and seemingly regard the pleasure angling venues as ones to be avoided but the capture of a 20lb plus Carp will get their interest.

The all important DPM pillow

The inside of the bivvy will reveal the extent of their love of DPM camouflage patterns.  Everything will be a blur of brown, green and black from the pillow on their bed-chair to their phone covers, bait buckets to rod pods,sleeping bag to socks...If there is an area void of DPM then they are not happy.  The funniest thing about these anglers is that if you were to ask them why so much camo, the reply is usually "Because the fish can't see me and get spooked".  Okay, fair point, but then they go and cast their lines about 70 to 80 yards out into the lake....Even I would struggle to see you from that distance let alone a fish.

These anglers do provide me with some amusement though, they'll arrive all cammo'd up, set up their hides (there is no way it can be called a bivvy), sneak around all very quiet....and then like a bloke I once saw at Weston Moat in Derbyshire, sit in his shelter, which has been strategically placed behind a bush, with 10, yes TEN, lines out, and put the radio on.  This group spend thousands each year on the latest 'must have' gadgets and manufacturers seem to know that as long as they finish their item off in DPM material then someone will buy it.

To be honest this post has been written with the tongue very firmly inside the cheek and I mean no malice or offence to anyone who recognises themselves in either group.  It's just a light hearted view on the world of Carpers.....Pleas don't send Danny Fairbrass round to bore me to death.

See you on the bankside.....